Shoe.



s. TADAKUMA.

SHOE.

APPLICATION FILEQ )AN. 8. 1915.

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Pate

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ffootwear,

artisan Flash i ht? SEIZI TADAKUMA, 0F PGRTLAND. QREGON.

SHOE.

139,598. specification of Letters Patent. P t t d m 13,

Application filed January 5, 1915.

To all wizom it may concern Be it known that l, SEIZI TADAKUMA, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnorush and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Shoe, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fOOtWGiNK and it primarily has for its objects to provide a shoe so constructed that the wearer may readily adjust the upper or vamp portion thereof to properly tit upon the foot and which is especially adapted for use by those having corns, ruptured bones and other foot troubles.

It is well known that shoe uppers frequently wear out or break while the founda tion of the shoe remains in a good condition, and often shoes are discarded by reason of the uppers being worn or broken while the shoe foundation remains good.

Among other objects, my invention seeks to provide an improved shoe in which the upper or vamp portion is so formed and attached to the shoe foundation that when worn out it may be readily removed from the said foundation and a new upper or vamp portion substituted therefor, or in other words, a shoe having the foundation or sole portion especially designed for be- !ing .used in connection with what I term alteration uppers, since the upper or vamp portions of my shoe, in. practice, ma be sold as a separate article and made or" various kinds of leather or cloth and in sizes to suit the standard sizes of boots an l shoes.

Another object of my in vcntion to provide an improved shoe that includes an upper or vamp portion readily applied around the sides and over the instep of the toot to suit the condition of the foot, and a flexible member that forms the substitute for the usual shoe tongue member, and which. in my construction of shoe, etiectively serves to prevent water or dirt entering within the shoe.

Again my invention comprehends certain improvements in shoes, of the general character stated, that can be readily embodied in all types of mens, womens and childrens high or low.

With other objects in view that will hereinafter, appear, my invention consists of a shoe that embodies the peculiar construction and novel arrangement of the parts hereinafter explained, specifically pointed 'out in Serial No. 1,198.

the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 isa perspective view of my improved shoe, the vamp or upper being shown unlaced and thrown back over the. toe cap. Fig. 2 is a similar view that represents the front of the shoe with the upper unlaced. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shoe viewed from the back end, the tongue memher being shown open and the upper or vamp portion unlaced. Fig. 4 is a side view of my improved shoe, the upper or vamp be ing in one piece. Fig. 5 is a view Off the shoe with a vamp or upper portion formed of two'pieces. Fig. 6 is a view of one of the vamp or upper sections. Fi 7 is a side elevation of a high shoe or boot, a modified arrangement of the lacing or fastening means being also shown. view that illustrates the manner in which the upper is secured within and to the toe cap of the shoe. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views of modifications hereinafter referred to. Fig. 11 is shoe, the upper and the body flange being provided with hooks and lace connections.

In the drawings, 1 designates the counter or quarter portion of the shoe body or forum dation, the front edges of which form vertical lacing flanges 10-1O that merge with the oppositely disposed and forwardly extended lacing flanges 11 that extend from the vertical flanges to the toe cap 2, to which they are stitched, as indicated by 80.

5 designates the shoe sole and the same in my construction of shoe is attached to the counter l and the toe cap in the usual man ner.

The flanges 10 and 11, in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4., have lacing eyelets that eX-' tend the full length of the said flanges.

7 designates what I term a tongue menr her since the said member serves as a substitute for the. ordinary shoe tongue member. In my construction of shoe, the tongue 7 is formed of a suitable flexible body. of leather, cloth or the like, and when applied for use, the lower front end of the said body extends under and is sewed to the toe cap 2, while the side portions of the said body are stitched to the lacing flanges 10 and 11 of the shoe, as is clearly shown in the drawing. connecting the member 7 to the shoe body, as state it follows that the said body forms the pocket into which the foot of the weareris received and serves as a means for Fig. 8 is a detail I a perspective view of the incasing the entire foot-and thereby keeping water or dirt out of the shoe. To provide for a perfect. or tight fit ofthe member 7 over the sides and instep of ,the foot, the said member 7 may be slit to form two opposing flaps 70 (see Fig. 5) which, when putting on the shoe,'are readily lapped upon themselves and over the instep of the foot before thevamp orupper portion, presently described, is finally closed over and about the foot.

8 designates the vamp or upper portion. of myimproved shoe and the same is preferably a sin le piece that is cut-to a shape 'to fill the space between the opposite lacing edgesof the body 1 and the toe cap-2, and the said vamp or upper member 8, is fixedly connected to the shoe body at its front end only, the said end being projected into the toe cap aid sewed thereto by stitching, as is best shown in Figs. 1 and 8. By referring to the said Figs. 1 and 8, it will be also noticed that the lacing flanges 11 are disposed close to the shoe sole and that the sides of the tongue member 7 are stitched to the said flanges 11 and to the straight or vertical flanges 10.

The lower or front end 73 of the member .7 that extends under the toe cap is secured by the StltClilIlfIBO that also secures the front end of the vamp or upper 8,'as is best shown in Fig; 8 of the drawing. c

In those forms of my shoe in which the meeting edges of the upper and'the edges 10 andl'l are joined by laces, the lacing:

edges 83 of the member 8 are shaped to fit closely up to the side edges 10 and 11, but when the said edges 10 and 11 and 83 are secured by buttons, as shown in Fig. 9, the edges 83 lap over the edges 10 and '11, see Fig. 9. o p Y It should be stated that the fastening means for closing the shoe may be composed of eyelets that extend the full length of the.

edges 10, 11 and 8 throughv'hich laces may passed (see Figs. 5 and 6); or eyelets may be provided along the edges-10', l1 and 83 on one side of the shoe and eyelets along'the lower part of the edges 83 and ii on the" other side of the shoe and hooks St for the upper part of the edges 83 and 1 ion said other side of the shoe, as shown in Fig. 10; or hooks may be provided on the edges 10, 11 and 83 on. both sides of the shoe, as

I shown in Fig. 11: or buttons may be providcd, a'sjndicatcd in Fig. 9; or eyelets and hooks, as indicated in Fig. 7; as may beddsired.

tar-ting with objects the sole of the shoe may bcmaile somewhat wider than is usuahsco Fig. Spit being, however, undcrstbod, that 1 To keep the laces and buttons from conwith the accompanying drawings, the comupper or vamp portion shaped as shown,

fixedly connected to the shoe foundation at the front end only, and shaping the op pQsiteedgcS an d the coincident edges of the counter or body of the shoe,'as stated, the uppers may be changed'readily any numb erof times, and the shoe used until the foundation is beyond further reuse, and

"since" the upper 1s sewed at the front end onlynto the shoe cap it can be easily removed and a new one substituted. Again, by extending the lacings at each side of the shoe downwardly from'thc top, in a substantiallyvertical direction and thence extended forwardly in a plane substantially parallel with the shoe sole and located adiacent the welt, the said lacing connections follow the shape of the foot from the ankle along" the heel and thence forwardly, and by reason thereof, the upper can be quickly and properly fitted upon the foot to suit the conditions of or exact shape of the foot, by

lacing tightly at some points and corres 'iondingly loosely at other points, on either or both sides of the foot. Furthermore by forming the upper or vamp portion 8 in the manner shown and described and lacing the same to the foundation of the shoe, as stated, provision is made for the variations of width, height and length of the instep portion of the shoe, to avoid pressure on the instep of the foot and to so hold the upper or vamp that it readily gives or yields in any direction while Walking, it being understood that the inside-member 7 keeps the foot entirely incascd at all times and water and dirt that might enter between the laced edges from getting inside of the shoe, it being, also apparent that since the entire upper can be readily thrown back, the same can be readily cleaned, and as it is secured at both sides of the shoe, only one side need be unfastened, when removing the shoe from the foot.

lVhat I claim is:

l. A shoe construction, comprising a foundation that includes a counter or quarter po tionlmvine, opposite front mines and a too cap, a flexible member having its side edges secured to the opposite cdgrs of the counter portion and its front edge to the toe cap, and a vamp or upper section fixedly connected to the too cap only, the said vamp or upper section being, shaped to [it the space between the opposite sides of the counter portion, and mcans for holding the adjacent edges of the vamp or upper section and'the counter portion closed against each other.

2. A shoe @comprising a foundation that includes a shoe counter or quarter portion,

.posite edges of the counter portion and having its front end secured to the toe cap and an upper or vamp member having a shape to fit over the said flexible member with its side edges adjacent to the opposite side edges of the counter portion, the front end of the said vamp extending under the toe cap and being secured to the said toe cap, and means for joining the adjacent edges of the vamp or upper portion and the counter portion to hold them in a closed relation.

3. In a shoe of the character stated, a

foundation that includes a sole portion, a toe cap, a counter portion whose upper front edges are extended downwardly to a point near the sole portion of the shoe, and a flexible member Whose opposite side edges are fixedly connected to the front edges of the counter portion and Whose front end is fixedly joined to the toe cap, a vamp or upper section having a shape to fit over the flexible member and Within the space between the opposite edges of the counter portion, means fixedly securing the lower front end thereof to the underside of the toe capv and other means that coiiperate with the adjacent edges of the counter portion and the vamp or upper portion for holding the said edges in a closed relation. v

SEIZI TADAKUMA. Witnesses:

W'. J. MAKELIM, CHICA TADAKUMA. 

